How to Actually Rank in AI Search (And Why Most Local Businesses Don’t)
If you’re a local business owner who’s tired of seeing your competitors pop up in Google Maps—or worse, get mentioned by ChatGPT when you ask about the best service in town—this guide is for you.
AI search isn’t coming. It’s here.
From Google’s new AI Overviews (formerly called SGE) to tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Claude, people are finding local businesses without even clicking a search result.
That “near me” search? It’s now a conversation. And if you’re not part of the answer, you’re already falling behind.
But here’s the good news: You can fix this. And we’re going to show you how.
Table of Contents
What AI Search Actually Is
Where AI Tools Pull Their Answers From
Why Most Businesses Aren’t Showing Up
How to Show Up (Without Playing Games)
AI-Ready FAQs That Help You Rank
What to Fix Even If AI Didn’t Exist
Bottom Line: Who’s Going to Do This?
1. What AI Search Actually Is
Old search: a list of links.
New search: an answer pulled from 3–5 sources. Maybe with citations. Maybe not. Either way, if you’re not one of the sources, you don’t exist.
People are asking questions like:
“Best plumber in Greenville?”
“Who does emergency AC repair near me?”
“Which dentist in Atlanta has good reviews?”
They’re asking those questions to Google’s AI. To ChatGPT. To Siri. To Perplexity.
And if those platforms don’t know who you are—or can’t find structured, trustworthy info about your business—you’ll be ignored.
This guide is how you fix that.
2. Where AI Tools Pull Their Answers From
Bluntly, most of these tools are not just reading your website.
They’re scanning multiple data sources, interpreting signals, and determining which businesses seem credible, consistent, and contextually relevant enough to include in a direct answer.
And since more people are using ChatGPT (especially now that search is available to everyone), and Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode are rapidly evolving, it’s worth understanding how these platforms are actually working in 2025.
Google’s AI Overviews (formerly SGE) still prioritize what Google knows best: your website, your Google Business Profile, your reviews, your images, and your content structure.
But now they exist alongside AI Mode—a new conversational search layer powered by Gemini 2.5, available to Google One AI Premium users. Both tools are shaping what users see before they ever scroll to a traditional result.
If you haven’t built a complete, structured, and active GBP—complete with services, images, review responses, and keyword-rich descriptions—you’re missing your shot at showing up in either view.
ChatGPT Search, as of February 2025, is now accessible to everyone, not just Pro users. It uses Bing to pull real-time data. This means:
If you rank in Bing, your content has a shot at being included in ChatGPT’s answers.
If your site loads fast, answers clear questions, and has structure? Even better.
If your business is buried, outdated, or not listed on major directories? You’ll be skipped.
Perplexity continues to behave like a well-trained research assistant. It favors accurate, structured content from trusted domains. If your business has a detailed FAQ, clear service descriptions, and appears in reputable sources (like directories, Wikipedia, or industry sites), it may be quoted or linked.
Claude, developed by Anthropic, is also improving its ability to interpret structured site content. It's moving toward real-time access via emerging protocols like Model Context Protocol (MCP), which means sites that are organized and schema-rich will have an increasing advantage.
And across the board, all of these tools rely on integrations with Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook, Reddit, and more. If your business isn’t actively managing its listings, reviews, and online footprint across those platforms? You’re not just invisible to people—you’re invisible to the AI deciding who to recommend.
Quick Update (2025):
Google’s AI Overviews and AI Mode both use your GBP, structured content, and reviews to generate instant answers. AI Mode is a more conversational, multi-step experience available to premium users.
ChatGPT Search is now public for all users, meaning every Bing ranking, review, and site update you make has the potential to influence what AI says about you.
The bottom line: AI tools need structured, trustworthy signals. If you haven’t earned reviews, clarified what you do, listed where you do it, and published it in a way machines can digest—you won’t get mentioned. Not because your business isn’t great, but because the machine doesn’t know you exist.. If you haven’t earned reviews, clarified what you do, listed where you do it, and posted it in a way that AI tools can understand—you’re not getting mentioned. Not because your business isn’t good, but because the machine doesn’t know you exist. If you haven’t structured your content, shown up in directories, or earned reviews—these tools won’t mention you.
3. Why Most Businesses Aren’t Showing Up
Let’s call it what it is:
They think Google Maps is the whole game
Their websites are vague, outdated, or slow
They’ve never added schema or structured data
They rely on one platform (like Google) for reviews
Their content doesn’t answer real customer questions
They haven’t updated content since 2019
Even worse? Some are spending thousands on ad campaigns while completely neglecting the one thing that determines if customers ever see them in the first place.
None of this is about technical genius. It’s about being intentional.
AI isn’t smart enough to assume. If you don’t spell out what you do, who you serve, and where—you’ll be skipped.
4. How to Show Up (Without Playing Games)
You don’t need to outsmart the algorithm. You need to give it what it’s looking for.
Nail Your Local Pages
One page per service, per area
Title it clearly: “Greenville Emergency Plumbing Services”
Answer common questions on the page, not buried in PDFs
If you’re a roofer in Spartanburg and don’t have a page about Spartanburg roof repair, the AI doesn’t know you do it.
Use Schema
LocalBusinessFAQPageServiceReview
Schema is like a translator between your website and the machine trying to read it. Without it, you’re speaking English to a robot trained in code.
Own Your Google Business Profile
Choose the right categories (not just one)
Write a keyword-rich description
Add services + photos
Post weekly
Turn on messaging
This is your storefront online. If it’s outdated, half-filled, or inactive, AI sees you as unreliable—or worse, closed.
Ask for Reviews Everywhere
Google, Yelp, Facebook, Bing. Rotate your ask across them. Reviews = trust.
AI is looking for patterns. If every platform says you’re a solid 4.8 stars with fresh reviews, you’re more likely to get cited. If one site has 200 reviews and the rest are empty? That’s a red flag.
Use FAQs That Work for Humans and AI
Which brings us to…
5. AI-Ready FAQs That Help You Rank
If you're a local service business owner wondering how to finally get seen—whether that's in Google, Bing, or ChatGPT—start by answering the exact questions real people are asking. This isn't theory. It's how the machines are learning who you are and what you do.
We’re not guessing at what people ask—we pulled these directly from Google autocomplete, Reddit, Facebook groups, and AI prompt patterns.
These are the actual questions small business owners and their potential customers are typing in:
"Why does my competitor show up, and I don't?"
Because they’ve done the basic work: structured content, active GBP, reviews across platforms, and fast, clear pages that tell the AI what they do and where.
"How do I get my business to show up when someone asks ChatGPT who the best is?"
By being listed in directories like Yelp and Bing Places, having great reviews, and publishing clear, structured, and location-specific content that sounds like a direct answer.
"Does AI actually know I exist?"
Only if you've published and structured the right signals: reviews, GBP, schema, directory listings, and clean site content. Otherwise, you're invisible.
"Is SEO still relevant if AI gives people the answer right away?"
Yes, more than ever. SEO now fuels what the AI pulls from. If you aren’t optimized, you don’t get surfaced in AI-generated responses. Links may be dying, but visibility isn't.
"How do I know if AI is recommending me?"
Try asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Claude a question you want to rank for: “Best HVAC company near me.” If you’re not mentioned or cited, you’re not on the radar.
"What should I fix first if I’m just getting started?"
Start with:
A complete, optimized Google Business Profile
Consistent reviews across platforms
Fast, mobile-friendly service pages that clearly explain who you are, what you do, and where you do it
An FAQ section with these exact questions
Now, here are AI-optimized FAQs that belong on your website, homepage, location pages, and even your Google Business Profile Q&A section. These help AI tools and customers trust you.
Q1: What areas do you serve?
We work across Greenville, Spartanburg, Greer, and surrounding Upstate SC. Not sure if we’ll come to you? Just ask.
Q2: How fast can you come out for an emergency?
Usually within 60–90 minutes, depending on location. For true emergencies, call us directly.
Q3: What makes you different from other [industry] companies?
We show up. We do what we say. And we’ve got the reviews to prove it.
Q4: Are you licensed and insured?
Absolutely. Fully licensed and insured in the state of South Carolina.
Q5: What does [service] usually cost?
Most jobs fall between $X–$Y. We give honest estimates and don’t upsell.
Q6: Do you do free quotes?
Yes. Fast, no-pressure, and no nonsense.
Q7: What should I expect on the day of service?
We confirm everything up front, show up on time, and get it done right.
Q8: How do I book?
Use our [booking form] or call us. We’ll follow up same-day.
Q9: What kinds of payments do you take?
Credit card, ACH, check, Venmo. Whatever’s easiest for you.
Q10: Where can I read reviews?
Start with Google, Facebook, or Yelp. We’ve helped hundreds—maybe someone like you.
Put these everywhere a machine or a human might land: your homepage, your GBP, your local service pages, your About page. Don’t bury them. AI tools crawl this structure and cite it when users ask.
Build trust with answers. Then let AI do the work of repeating them back to your future customers.
6. What to Fix Even If AI Didn’t Exist
Let’s say this AI thing fizzles out (it won’t, but humor us).
These still matter:
Consistent NAP (name/address/phone) everywhere
Clean, fast mobile site
Local backlinks (chambers, schools, blogs)
Blogging for local, not clicks (e.g. “How much does X cost in Greenville in 2025?”)
Claiming Bing Places, Apple Maps, and other overlooked directories
This isn’t just SEO. It’s your digital reputation. And that reputation is now being summarized, rated, and sometimes spoken aloud by tools you don’t control.
7. Bottom Line: Who’s Going to Do This?
You could do all this yourself.
But will you?
At louislynn Consulting, we help real businesses rank where it counts.
That means:
Websites that answer real questions
Google Business Profiles that get clicks
Content that shows up in ChatGPT and on Google
Local SEO that respects your time and your budget
We know what AI tools are looking for because we build content that feeds them.
If you’re tired of guessing, tired of seeing your competition show up when they shouldn’t, tired of paying for results you can’t measure—it’s time.
Talk to us at louislynn. We’ll get you seen.
Your next customer is already asking.
Make sure the answer includes you. : )
